As I’ve mentioned in several previous articles as well as my Simple Flying author bio page, the B-52 Stratofortress (AKA the “BUFF”) is my all-time favorite warplane, so it was a joy to be able to watch the BUFFs take off and fly when I was a young enlisted airman at Minot AFB, North Dakota. Thing is, for those of you not familiar with that geographical region of the United States, North Dakota and the surrounding so-called “Northern Tier” states get really, really freakin’ cold during the winter months. “Why not Minot? Freezin’s the reason,” goes the cynical joke.